The St. James Tea Room

Hands down, The St James Tea Room was the absolute highlight of our trip to Albuquerque. Oh my gosh, I cannot tell you how utterly fabulous this place was. I positively loved every single thing about it. We came here for a traditional English afternoon tea experience — how fun is that? — complete with tea sandwiches, scones, and strawberry shortcakes. What we got was a luxurious, secluded, 2-hour escape from the world, with an unforgettable meal and a life-changing tea I will never forget.

Here is the entrance when we first walked in. The tea room was beautifully decked out in English country decor, but I loved how the entrance had a little New Mexican flare as well.

I had no idea what to expect of our tea, but I was really excited to find out. I had just finished reading a couple of light murder mystery novels set in 1860s London where the main characters sat down for tea every afternoon. Some of the descriptions in the book had my mouth watering! I was delighted to see several of the wonderful things I’d read about on our menu. Our tea made it all come to life.

The tea room was all dressed up for Christmas. I loved this tree decorated with top hats! It perfectly set the mood.

Can you believe this was our room for tea?? You could’ve knocked me over with a feather, I was so giddy at this room. All small parties at the St. James Tea Room get their own private nook for their 2-hour afternoon tea experience. Look at these plush couches!

They even had a little welcome note along with our sugar and cream.

The wonderfully gracious manager of the tea room, Daniel — who is the sweet owner’s son and who was also an exchange student at Oxford University — knew we were coming. He had checked out Kevin & Amanda before we got there, saw our NYC Macarons post, and recommended a tea especially for us. It was called Picasso Soiree, a medium bodied black tea with traces of — are you ready for this? — french vanilla, caramel, creme brulee, chocolate, and vanilla. Daniel just became my new best friend. This tea was so right up my alley, it couldn’t have been more perfect had it been created specifically for me. It was absolutely perfect. I still can’t get over how delicious it was. What I wouldn’t do to get my hands on another cup of this tea, I am still dreaming about it!

Our little nook had its own curtains to draw for quiet privacy, but oh how my eyes widened when I saw our tiered tray of sweets and savories peeking through!

Check out this cute tray! Now I will admit, when I first saw it, I thought “No way is this going to be enough food. I’m starving!” But let me assure you, we left completely stuffed and satisfied.

Here was our menu for the afternoon.

The bottom tray was our savories. Up front is Clara’s Traditional Tea Sandwich of
Orange, Turkey, and Cucumber with Chevre. Oh my gosh, I loved every single bite. The delicious puff to the right of the sandwich was a luscious bite of beef wellington. Such a treat.

And oh my gosh! Will you look at this teeny tiny truffled potato?? This has got to be the cutest, tiniest potato I have ever seen! How did they get it so small?? I loved it.

The middle tray was filled with delicious breads. Here we have the St. James Traditional Cream Scone, clotted cream, and stollen in the background. This scone was — how do I say this? — undeniably, unequivocally, absolutely, positively, one hundred percent… Life. Changing. I’m from the south. I’ve had a lot of good biscuits in my day. This scone was Life. Changing. How can a biscuit be this good?? I would get in my car right now and drive all day and all night and probably all day again just for one more of these heavenly, melt-in-your-mouth, Life Changing scones.

Okay, that’s all I’m going to say about the scone.

Except that I had one bite of the scone and promptly forgot all about taking pictures for the rest of our tea. Can you believe it? Not even the sweets!

When we finished our tea, I had to check out the adorable gift shop we passed on the way in.

They had so many cute little tea sets, including one with cupcakes!

This room had gorgeous jewelry, some of the most unique I’ve ever seen. It was very hard not to spend my entire life savings here.

We left the St. James Tea Room utterly and supremely relaxed and rejuvenated, as well as completely stuffed with one of the most delicious and memorable meals of our lives.

If you are ever anywhere near the area, you absolutely must make a reservation for afternoon tea here. You will love it!

I want to go there *now!* That looks like a heavenly way to spend part of an afternoon and given I’ve never been to NM, I certainly wouldn’t expect some place like this to be there! Perhaps a trip is in order. :-)

Wonderful….I’ve been through Albuquerque but had no idea there were so many exotic places to visit! About that tiny potato….I buy “fingerlings” because they’re so small….there are four or five kinds of potatoes in the bag; including the one in your picture. Never occurred to me that they could be dressed up that way…love it!

Oh! My very, very favorite thing to do when traveling is to visit tea rooms! This one looks truly amazing…WOW! I can’t believe how outstanding that private tea party room is…and the Christmas decorations are awesome. =) I’ve just pinned it on my “Places I’d Like to Visit” board. I’m so glad you guys had a good time there!

And you’re totally right – scones are life-changing. I’ve made hundreds of scones in the past 10 years and even though I’m a Tennessee girl, I’d still take a scone over a biscuit almost every time! ;)

Now that’s a tearoom, wow! I was just at an exquisite British one but this looks amazing. I love going to tea and do so frequently. Funny how you never think it’ll be enough to fill you but leave stuffed!

What a gorgeous place. I wish I had their knack for decorating. I LOve daring red walls. Had a living room with that color accent wall. Miss that. Now I am jonesing to take the hubby on a couples retreat to Albuquerque. ;)

Moving to “Albecooker” in July of this NEW year. I was already excited but am now even more so after seeing your beautiful photographs. I have never been myself, but I trust my husband when he says I will love it. Now we just need to work on mastering the pronunciation with the little ones. Thanks!!

I am lucky to live in Albuquerque and enjoy afternoon tea at the St. James Tearoom a few times a year. It has enriched my life tremendously! The beauty, civility, gentility, and other virtues that grace their lovely china are exemplified in every part of the experience without it becoming overly formalized and stuffy. It is an oasis of serenity and refreshment in a busy world. And yes, their scones are fabulous – light as a cloud and delicate in flavor. They are the perfect accompaniment to the fragrant teas the Tearoom serves. The St. James Tearoom: yet another reason to call New Mexico the Land of Enchantment!

I live here in Albuquerque, and everything you wrote and more is why this is my favorite place to go as well. Daniel’s mother, Mary Alice, is the epitome of love, grace, and beauty, and her vision for this place is born out of such a heart–and we are recipients of such blessings! Every visit is a surprise to my palate and a visual delight. It’s my place to escape, stop and smell the roses, and renew with friends. I highly recommend anyone visiting to not miss this gem in the Southwest–no matter your gender! There are dining spaces with decor that are suitable and very comfortable for men.

I have the pleasure of calling Miss Mary Alice a dear friend. =0) Picasso soiree is my favorite tea too and the scones really are the very best. I am glad that you enjoyed your tea and I love that they make it so special for each and every guest. You are right, it is a 2 hour respite from the outside world. =0)

Fantastic write up! I am lucky to live in Albuquerque and frequently visit the St. James Tea Room to celebrate special occasions and to fill the periodic need for tranquility and grace. It is an experience like no other and one of my absolute favorite ways to while away an afternoon. I am so happy to see this Southwestern gem receive such glowing commentary on your blog.

I live in Washington state and have a dear friend (Cheryl, comment 22 above) that lives in Albuquerque. Each time I have been able to visit her in ABQ she has treated me to your lovely and delicious (only begins to describe it!) afternoon tea. I have never visited such a special place for afternoon tea, and I have yet to visit ABQ since you have moved to your new location. My last time there was just prior to your move. I can’t wait to visit your new location in the future! Thank you for providing such a wonderful, memorable experience for your guests! The outstanding review you received from Amanda puts it so well … What we got was a luxurious, secluded, 2-hour escape from the world, with an unforgettable meal and a life-changing tea I will never forget.

Oops! I realized I was a bit confused on the context of the comment section as I do not typically comment on things, but I had to share my experience with the St. James Tearoom. Hopefully the message is not lost in my confusion! Bottom Line … do visit the St. James Tearoom whenever you are in ABQ. You will be so glad that you did! Your taste buds will be so satisfied and you will have created such a wonderful memory to be treasured forever! :)

Love the pictures! I’m so glad you had an amazing time at the tearoom! I just went to a special event there last night, The Downton Abbey Tea!! It. Was. AMAZING!! I was introduced as The Honorable Mrs. Humphrey Beaumont by Carson, the Butler, and received by Cora! Or tea was brought by Daisy and we were served by Alfred and William! Everyone was decked it according to the era, and we all got a chance to participate in a variety of Downton Abbey activities! We had an amazing time! We also attended a Masquerade Ball last year that was utterly magnificent!